After 16 years, Lt. Colonel Stephen Cash said it was time to come back home.

Cash is Commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 790 at TSU, a Memphis native who commissioned through AFROTC in 2006 upon graduating from Middle Tennessee State University.

“I am really humble to have the opportunity to come back to where my Air Force career began,” Lt. Colonel Cash said. Cash was stationed at the Pentagon for three years in Washington D.C., before he officially became a tiger when his predecessor Lt. Nick Calloway retired over the summer.

He is responsible for recruiting and overseeing the preparation of officer candidates through a comprehensive college program at TSU and 11 cross-town universities.

He said this year ROTC has more than 90 cadets.

“My hope is that we see the program into fruition,” he said, noting that he looks forward to finding those with integrity to serve the country and strive for excellence. Cash said he anticipates the same hospitality he received when he launched his military career at TSU more than 15 years ago.

“When I came through the program it was a family environment,” he said. “A family feel with cadets looking out for one another. It’s an amazing opportunity to come back and pay it forward and have my career come full circle.”

To learn more about Detachment 790, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/afrotc/join.aspx.

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.